


Just a couple of friends

by Hawkinsbabe (Multishippers)



Series: ♡ Whenever you're Reddie (Prompts) ♡ [6]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Friends to Lovers, IT - Freeform, IT 2017 - Freeform, M/M, Mentioned Losers Club (IT), Reddie, Teen Angst, Teenage Losers Club (IT), Teenagers, prompt, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 18:23:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17606558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multishippers/pseuds/Hawkinsbabe





	Just a couple of friends

It never mattered where one or the other went, Eddie and Richie were always attached by the hip, at some point even literally because Richie decided it would be funny to hoop their belt together, forgetting the fact that he was as tall as a tree compared to Eddie, which resulted in Eddie having a wedgie for an entire evening.

To the point where most people genuinely thought they were a couple for the longest time. After all they did bicker like an old couple since they were 13, usually resulting in Beverly calling them out on it and Eddie turning beet red and scrambling to list all the reasons why he would never stoop so low, while Richie, on the other hand, would say: “I’m only getting close to Eds so I can jump his mom Bev, soon I’ll be his Daddy.”

Admittedly Richie did find it a little weird at first when people they didn’t know started to think they were a couple; like The old lady telling them how cute they looked together because of the way Richie was sitting in Eddie’s lap and nuzzling the side of his face onto the nest Eddie had been growing over the years or some random kids asking their moms why two boys were holding hands while walking down the streets. Eddie always pretended not to hear the response the Mothers would give while Richie would start to get a little heavier with the nicknames.

And he was already known for being very touchy-feely, always having to touch someone in some way, whether it was having his arm around them, or holding their pinky. But for him it was normal. Wasn’t it? Didn’t friends always hold hands? Kiss and pinch their cute best friend’s cheek? Didn’t they cuddle on the couch while watching a movie on movie nights?

At least he thought so until Maria, his on and off girlfriend, said that it wasn’t normal for him to spend his time talking about Eddie while on a date with her, or that he would pay more attention to him than her when they all hang out.

“I’m just being a good friend.” Richie found himself saying to his girlfriend, an exasperated laugh leaving him as she complained, for what seemed like the millionth time, today. He bends to grab his hoodie that laid on the floor, along with the lacy black bra and his old band T-shirt, his phone stuck between his shoulder and his ear.

“It’s always like this. He always calls at the PERFECT time. Can’t he handle himself this one fucking time so I can spend time with MY fucking boyfriend in peace for once?” She said, chest covered by the blanket she was holding in place, frustration as clear as crystal in her voice which did rise a little bit of hesitation in him, his hoodie now halfway on. On one hand, he had his girlfriend in bed, about to do the dirty but on the other, he had a drunk, emotional Eddie.

“Eddie- Isn’t Bill with you? I should stay with Ma-“ he reluctantly began with a sigh before he was caught off by a new sob on the other end of the line that broke his heart. He could faintly hear in the background a movie playing along with what seemed to be people making out a little too loudly.

“I’m so lonely Chee.” Could he hear his best friend slur in between the hiccups his sobs caused, causing a deep frown to overtake Richie’s usually cheerful face. “I-I know Sundays are Maria’s day but- but I need you. Richie, I need you.”

It was all he needed to hear for him to run out of his girlfriend’s house without so much as his socks on. The words seemed to play over and over again in his mind while his heart increased in its rate of beating, not entirely sure whether it was because of the way the words had been silently sobbed out or the fact that he was running faster than he even knew he could. Twelve blocks. Twelve blocks separated Maria’s and the Denbrough’s houses. But he would run them all over again if he was asked to only to feel Eddie’s petite body collide against his as soon as he passed the front door. A small ‘oof’ escaped him as his hands instinctively found themselves on top of the smaller being’s cheeks, feeling just how wet they were.

“Come on sweetcake, we’ll let the lovebirds make out in peace, else I’ll have to beat my meat.” He joked although it wasn’t met with the usual groan or the fond but quiet laugh. The teenager let his hands drop until his arm was around Eddie’s shoulder and led him to the backyard where he sat on the beach chair, patting the place between his legs: “Talk to your psychiatrist, why do you feel lonely bub?”

But Eddie stayed up, wet eyes staring down upon his best friend who’s voice sounded so soft he could help the tears from welling up again and his heart from feeling constricted. “I hate Maria.” He sniffed childishly, receiving a surprised look from Richie.

“I don’t- hate, hate her. But she took you away.”

“Eddie” Richie sighed softly, reaching one of his calloused hands out to Eddie’s smaller, fidgety ones. “I’m still almost always with you.”

“You Don’t Understand!” Eddie cried out, fingers wringing through his blond locks, desperately trying to make sense of what he was feeling, but his drunken state made him feel EVERYTHING and to the very extreme. “You’re not with me like before. And it hurts. It hurts so much Chee. I can’t- I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe and nothing helps now. There are no medications, no numbers of puffs from my inhaler that stops me from feeling like I’m drowning. And my heart. It’s like my heart is slowly dying. It aches whenever I see you doing stuff we did with her.”

The sobs only intensified as he babbled out his symptoms, tugging onto his wavy hair until hands grip his wrist and tugged them and him along with it down until he was uncomfortably straddling Richie. At first, Eddie fought against Richie’s chest, but the summer night breeze blew over them, somehow soothing away the burning sensation of feeling Richie’s skin against his. “I want my best friend back. I want you back.”

Richie’s hold around Eddie’s wrist lessened only when the fist turned into open hands laying flat against his chest, as if giving up, he sobs shaking the both of them and making the beach chair squeak with each movement. Richie felt horrible. Horrible over the fact that he did change the way he was around his favorite person because he wanted people to shut up about them being an item when he had a girlfriend. He missed the dirty jokes. He missed holding his hand. He missed sharing their clothes. And he missed cuddling himself no one fitted his side as perfectly as he did.

“I’ll dump her for you.” Those words escaped Richie without him even realizing them.

“What?”

“I’ll dump her right now.”

“Are you serious?”

“Swear to god.”

“Dead ass?”

“Dead ass.”

A silence installed itself between them after that, Eddie’s eyes softening slowly but surely as the tears streaming down his tan skin slowly ceased. And while for Eddie’s drunken state of mind the silence was nice, so nice that it seemed to lull him to sleep, Richie was freaking out. Freaking out because something inside of him seemed to finally connect, his heart suddenly doubling its speed as the realization of his feelings started to hit him like a tone of bricks.

“You’d do that for me?” Eddie finally spoke up again. The remaining hiccups slowing him down again, along with the clear sudden exhaustion that was taking over, as seen by the way his eyelids closed.

“Of course I would… I love you Eds.”

“Don’t call me that,” Eddie whispered his head falling onto Richie’s chest as if he didn’t hear the different intonation in the way Richie said he loved him, sooner rather than later, snores filling the silent air.

Richie let his big hands wrap around Eddie’s back, one sneaking up to the fluffy hair and cradle his head to make sure he stayed comfortable as he sank deeper into the chair and looked up at the stars in the sky.

“What the fuck did I get myself into?” He sighed out, drawing smiley faces and flowers onto the smaller boy’s back, cursing himself out in his head over the fact that his confession completely passed over the boy he loved’s head all too easily.

Sure enough, even though Eddie didn’t remember a thing of what happened, Richie broke up with Maria the next morning and everything went back to normal. Normal apart from the fact that he now found himself staring a little too long at his best friend’s lips and lingered a few seconds longer than usual when they hugged or held hands.


End file.
